Star Trek

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Deliberate mistake: Special effects of the ship in space were very expensive in the 60s and couldn't be wasted. So when a larger model was built with slightly different nacelles, shots of both versions became common, even within the same episode. This is why the Enterprise sometimes had red needle-tipped nacelles and sometimes lighted "spinning" ones, and in aft views she had either round white spheres or perforated vents at the nacelles' ends.

Jean G

Devil in the Dark - S1-E26

Deliberate mistake: Here, as in nearly every other ST episode featuring caves, caverns or mines, all the floors are perfectly flat and the lighting adequate-to-see-by or even brilliant. These configurations are easily found on soundstage sets - but not in nature. (00:16:30)

Jean G

Friday's Child - S2-E11

Deliberate mistake: When the decoyed Enterprise heads back to Capella, the special effects shot is reversed to indicate that it's going back in the other direction. Unfortunately, this gives us two brief shots of the ship with the registration numbers backwards. (00:37:40)

Jean G

A Private Little War - S2-E19

Deliberate mistake: After one of the enemy villagers stabs Nona, during the ensuing fight when Kirk does a flying dropkick on a villager, this semi-closeup and the next wide shot are both flipped shots - the leather band is on Kirk's left upper arm, instead of his right. (00:46:15)

Super Grover

The Menagerie (2) - S1-E13

Deliberate mistake: At the very end, the Talosians send a final visual transmission of Vina and Christopher Pike, now whole and happy and reunited after 13 years, holding hands as they enter the Talosian elevator in the hillside. However, in this last shot, the elevator is still half-disintegrated, exactly as it was 13 years earlier when the Enterprise crew destroyed the hillside with a laser cannon. Within the context of "The Menagerie" storyline, this suggests that the Talosians never attempted to repair the elevator for 13 years (even though they continued using it). This incongruity is due to Gene Roddenberry cannibalizing his Star Trek pilot "The Cage," which contained zero footage of Jeffrey Hunter and Susan Oliver entering the intact elevator together (only the destroyed elevator). So, Roddenberry deliberately tried to "slip one by" the audience in this brief shot.

Charles Austin Miller

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: There are reasons why the elevator would appear damaged. As the Talosians were in control of everything shown on the ship's viewer, the entire scene could be an illusion, or at least the elevator's condition may have been, with the Talosians choosing to allow the viewers to see the elevator in the same condition they last saw it. Just as likely, however, is that the Talosians truly never did reconstruct the elevator, as the whole point of their having a menagerie of other beings was an attempt to breed a race that could physically serve them, for their concentration on their mental powers had led to a complete inability and unwillingness to perform physical tasks (like repairing an elevator).

Still, as long as the Talosians are creating the illusion of Christopher Pike and Vina in their "restored" bodies, why not create an illusion of the elevator and hillside restored, as well? One big illusion of restoration, rather than a composite of dismal reality and happy-ending illusion? Again, to the point of my original post, the obvious incongruity is due to Roddenberry using the only happy-ending footage he possessed, that of Pike and Vina entering the half-obliterated elevator as they did at the end of "The Cage." Certainly, if Roddenberry only had the foresight to shoot Jeffrey Hunter and Susan Oliver entering the intact elevator, he would have used that footage instead. Any attempt to explain away the 13-year incongruity is mere wishful thinking.

This would qualify as a question, not a mistake. It is entirely plausible that the Talosians wouldn't bother to repair the elevator. It's also possible, as the previous correction points out, that the entire scene is an illusion. Remember, Captain Kirk sees Vina and Pike together on the planet literally moments after Spock wheels Pike out of the room. It's unlikely Pike had already been beamed down.

Errand of Mercy - S1-E27

Deliberate mistake: When the Klingons post signs for their rules, they're printed in English. The Klingons have their own language, and people on Organia most certainly aren't English speakers. Even if the Universal Translator allows Kirk and Spock to hear in English, it wouldn't change the look of a sign.

Birdzip

Star Trek mistake picture

Charlie X - S1-E3

Visible crew/equipment: After McCoy examines Charlie and they talk about how Charlie learned to talk by just listening to the ship's tapes, when Charlie stands up the two actors' marks can be seen on the floor - the short one for Charlie and the longer one for McCoy, where they both will stand momentarily. (00:04:56)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Star Trek

Journey to Babel - S2-E10

Amanda: And you, Sarek, would you also say thank you to your son?
Sarek: I don't understand.
Amanda: Well, for saving your life.
Sarek: Spock acted in the only logical manner open to him. One does not thank logic, Amanda.
Amanda: Logic, logic - I'm sick to death of logic! Do you want to know how I feel about your logic?
Spock: Emotional, isn't she?
Sarek: She has always been that way.
Spock: Indeed? Why did you marry her?
Sarek: At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do.

Super Grover

More quotes from Star Trek

Trivia: Gene Roddenberry created the transporter as an easier (and cheaper) way of getting Enterprise crew members onto a planet's surface, rather than landing the ship on the planet.

More trivia for Star Trek

Answer: After causing Norman to overload, all of the other androids shut down. The same could be said for the androids on the Enterprise.

Answer: If all the humans beamed down and only Androids were on the ship as Larry Mudd said then how did they get back aboard the Enterprise if all the robots were shut down.

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